NEW ORLEANS — As a part of TEGNA's Grant program, WWL is working to make our community a better place to live, work and play! Members of the WWL Team recently presented Thrive New Orleans with a check for $6,000.
The grant will help fund programs focused on job-training, youth empowerment and small business development.
19-year-old Braxton Barrow is from the Lower Ninth Ward. He's an alumnus of Thrive's summer camp. He said without the nonprofit, he doesn't know where he would be.
“I haven’t really had that father figure, but my mom, my aunts, my uncles and the people here showed me how to grow up and be a respectable young man," Barrow said.
Barrow said he was around 6 years old when he started attending the summer camp at the Giving Hope Community Center in the Desire neighborhood.
“It was always good to have a summer camp in the area of where we lived," Barrow said, “This community center provided a safe haven for kids to come and be kids.”
Thrive New Orleans Executive Director, Chuck Morse, said the community center hosts Thrive's programming year-round.
“Youth programming, work force programming, small business development," Morse said.
But there's something special that happens between June and August when they host camp.
“They [kids] feel that they’re away from gun violence, away from domestic violence, and we also feed them when they come here. That’s not their primary reason, but they come here and it is wonderful. It’s a spiritual process almost when they come here," Morse said.
The camp is free for ages 5 to 17. Kids hear from guest speakers, mentors, read, write, play and sing.
“They come in and they leave different," Barrow said.
Barrow said attending the camp was the right step for him.
“I would probably be somewhere else, doing something else, not having the right direction and being able to do the things I’m doing now because of Thrive and the exposure that I’m now getting," Barrow said.
Thrive kept him going when life took an unexpected turn.
“I was given 24 hours to live, and then after that, I was given five years to live because they said there’s a window of possibility that you might not survive, but I’m on year 14 now," Barrow said.
Barrow had a liver transplant in 2009.
“It’s always been me and my liver going toe to toe, but me coming out on top," Barrow said.
Barrow was unable to engage in certain activities, such as contact sports, so he sought community elsewhere.
“I couldn’t do certain things through the year, but I was able to do it here, and so that kept me strong," Barrow said.
Barrow graduated from Edna Karr. In the Spring, he said he will attend Delgado to pursue education.
“I really love kids," Barrow said, “I said let me go and be a teacher.”
Barrow continues to give back at Thrive as an employee and volunteer.
“I found out that my joy is helping," Barrow said.
If you have a local charity looking for funding, WWL-TVi is still accepting applications for the next round of TEGNA Grants. Any 501c3 charity is eligible, and average grants range from $1,000 to $5,000.
For more details on how to apply, scan the QR code on your screen now, or search WWLTV.com. The deadline to apply is Aug. 21.